Tigers gain more confidence at Rossi Relays

Feb 26, 2011

CLAREMONT, Calif.– A day after torrential rain, under sunny,
but cold skies, the Tigers traveled to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to
partake in the 2011 Rossi Relays. Despite very un-Southern
Californian temperatures that were cold with often windy
conditions, a number of athletes returned to Eagle Rock with some
very promising early season marks for both the men’s and
women’s track & field teams.

For the men’s squad, freshman phenom Jonathan
Padron continued to impress as he led the way with a
huge seasonal best of 10.82 in the 100 meter dash, placing him
eighth in the Occidental record books and just two hundredths of a
second away from a Division III NCAA provisional qualifying time.
Teammate Ryan Metzler also ran a lifetime best 100
meter race with an 11.34 clocking.

Both aforementioned performances will bode well for the men's 4
x 100 meter relay team in the coming weeks.

In the 110 meter hurdles senior Deryck Lim
turned in a great performance with a 16.04, which was his second
best run ever.

Freshman Dalton Spinas continued his
transition to the weight of the college shot put as he threw 43'9
1/4", an improvement of more than three feet from his inaugural
collegiate meet a week ago.

On the women's side, senior thrower Kelly Young
looked very good in all of her events. Young’s weekend was
highlighted by a 140'6" discus throw, which is a Division III
NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Additionally, she threw the
hammer 156'7", which was her second best throw ever, and tossed the
shot 40'5 1/2".

Another senior in fine form was Adrienne
Daniels, who ran a life time best of 15.72 in the 100
meter hurdles, which is also the ninth fastest time in Occidental
history.

All parties will be competing next weekend, March 5, when
Occidental hosts the first Southern California Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference quad meet of the season. Teams participating at
Patterson Field and on the Bill Henry Track will be Caltech,
Pomona-Pitzer and the University of Redlands. Field events begin at
9:30 a.m. with the shot-put before the other field events start at
11 a.m. Track events are set to begin at noon.